Calendar of Events

After proving themselves one of the most stunning and wonderful musical success stories of the last decade, Los Lonely Boys are now carving out their legend with their fourth studio album. On Rockpango, the young veterans heighten their trajectory and open up their sound.

Bijou Theatre, 803 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. For information: 865-522-0832, www.knoxbijou.com. For tickets: 865-684-1200, 865-656-4444, www.knoxvilletickets.com

As part of the East Tennessee Historical Society’s Brown Bag Lecture Series presented by 21st Mortgage, Dr. Ted Olson will present The Bristol Sessions: The Big Bang of Country Music, 1927-1928 in the auditorium of the East Tennessee History Center , located at 601 South Gay Street .

Dr. Ted Olson will discuss the Bristol Sessions as the “big bang” that propelled country music into the national spotlight. In 1927, producer Ralph Peer came to the small town of Bristol on the Tennessee/Virginia line and set up a makeshift studio to record local talent on behalf of Victor Talking Machine Company. His venture made history that summer with the discovery of the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers. String-bands, balladeers, gospel quartets, sanctified singers, and blues acts were among those recorded the following year. Ted Olson and others have been involved in the projects to assemble and remaster the recordings and to publish a volume of interpretive essays, notes on the artists, song lyrics, as well as never-before-published photos. Musician and music historian Ted Olson will also share some of the music and stories from country music’s past discovered during the project.

The Museum of East Tennessee History is operated by the East Tennessee Historical Society and is located in the East Tennessee History Center at 601 South Gay Street in downtown Knoxville across from the Tennessee Theatre. For more information about this event or to schedule an interview or site visit, please contact Cherel Henderson at either 865-215-8823 or 865-335-0888 or by e-mail at cherel@eastTNhistory.org.

Reception: Sun. Sept. 11, 2-4:30pm

Public Lecture: Thurs. October 27, 7:30pm

Ewing Gallery, 1715 Volunteer Blvd, Knoxville, TN 37996. For information: 865-974-3200, www.ewing-gallery.utk.edu

"Windows to Heaven: Treasures from the Museum of Russian Icons, Clifton, MA" brings together historically significant works from the collection, dating from 1590 AD to present day. This spectacular exhibition helps demonstrate how religious structures and organizations are created by civilizations to reflect their own spiritual, social and political needs.

Frank H. McClung Museum, 1327 Circle Park on the UT campus, Knoxville, TN
Information: 865-974-2144, http://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu

The 13th Biennial International Juried Enamel Exhibition and the 8th International Juried Student Exhibition are hosted at Arrowmont in conjunction with The Enamelist Society conference 2011; Transformation in Contemporary Enamels, Alchemy. The exhibition premiers at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts then travels to the Knoxville Museum of Art and on to the National Ornament Metal Museum. In the Sandra J. Blain Galleries

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, 576 Parkway, Gatlinburg, TN 37738. For information: 865-436-5860, www.arrowmont.org

The 92nd annual Tennessee Valley Fair is one of the state’s largest multi-day events attracting nearly 140,000 people each year. The Fair begins the Friday after Labor Day as it invites you to "Let Go” this fall. Known for its innovative exhibits, livestock shows, concert series, action sports, exciting rides and a variety of unique fun foods, the Tennessee Valley Fair offers tremendous family entertainment for a gate adult admission of only $9, $7 in advance (kids 5 and younger are free). The Fair is also proud to present nightly fireworks sponsored by the Tennessee Lottery.

Tennessee Valley Fair: 865-215-1471, www.tnvalleyfair.org

Friday, September 9: Brett Eldredge, Reserved Seat = $5
Saturday, September 10: Fairest of the Fair Pageant, Reserved Seat = $5
Sunday, September 11: James Rogers, Reserved Seat = $5
Monday, September 12: Sister Hazel, Reserved Seat = $7.50
Tuesday, September 13: Thompson Square, Reserved Seat = $10
Wednesday, September 14: Josh Thompson, Reserved Seat = $7.50
Thursday, September 15: .38 Special, Reserved Seat = $15
Friday, September 16: Boyz II Men, Reserved Seat = $15
Saturday, September 17: Con Hunley, Reserved Seat = $5
Sunday, September 18: Jerrod Niemann, Reserved Seat = $10

The 92nd annual Tennessee Valley Fair is one of the state’s largest multi-day events attracting nearly 140,000 people each year. The Fair begins the Friday after Labor Day as it invites you to "Let Go” this fall. Known for its innovative exhibits, livestock shows, concert series, action sports, exciting rides and a variety of unique fun foods, the Tennessee Valley Fair offers tremendous family entertainment for a gate adult admission of only $9, $7 in advance (kids 5 and younger are free). The Fair is also proud to present nightly fireworks sponsored by the Tennessee Lottery. For more information: 865-215-1470, www.tnvalleyfair.org

Do you LOVE the movie Gone With the Wind? Then you HAVE TO SEE the play Moonlight & Magnolias at the Clarence Brown! True Story: Three weeks into production, David O. Selznick shut the movie down and fired the screenwriter and director. He then pulled director Victor Fleming off the set of The Wizard of Oz and hired script doctor Ben Hecht. With A WEEK to get the job done, he locked himself, Hecht and Fleming in his office – with only bananas and peanuts to eat – to knock out a workable screenplay.
The comedy, Moonlight & Magnolias, imagines what went on during those days of captivity as the three Hollywood giants acted out the book chapter by chapter to create the movie. The show runs on the Clarence Brown Theater main stage from September 8-25, 2011. Caution: Peanuts and PG-13 language will be used in the show. If you have a peanut allergy, please consider not attending this production.

Clarence Brown Theatre 1714 Andy Holt Ave on the UT campus, Knoxville, TN 37996. For information: 865-974-5161, www.clarencebrowntheatre.com. For tickets: 865-974-5161, 865-656-4444, www.knoxvilletickets.com

The UT Downtown Gallery is pleased to present the work of Scott Sherk in this exhibition of sound sculptures, soundscapes and field recordings. Mr. Sherk lives and works in Allentown , PA and is a Professor of Art at Muhlenberg College. Mr. Sherk has also exhibited internationally, completing sound projects in Iceland and Italy and his work has also been shown in several exhibitions at the Kim Foster Gallery in New York City .

Mapping sound explores ideas about the representation of space through the use of sound. If sculpture is an exploration of space through form, in these works of sound sculpture, sound becomes the primary focus of the exploration of three-dimensional space.

Included in the exhibition will be a sound drawing in eight channels of field recordings of New York City . This three-dimensional drawing with sound in space uses vector based amplitude panning of three sound sources over eight speakers. Also presented are several sculptural shapes that contain soundscapes of natural sounds in identifiable spaces. These works play with ideas about perspective and the perception of space through sound. Recent works that juxtapose video images with audio will also be presented for listening with headphones.

Scott Sherk will perform a live set of field recordings and audio manipulations along with video actualization of ambient sound during the First Friday Opening event on September 2, at 7:00pm in the UT Downtown Gallery, 106 South Gay Street.

Please join us for a First Friday Opening reception with the artist, September 2 from 5:00pm until 9:00pm. Admission is free and the public is welcome.

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present "In Absence", an exhibition of new works by Brandon Woods, Emporium Center Artist-in-Residence from April – September 2011. The exhibition opens Friday, September 2, at 5:00 PM in the Balcony of the Emporium Center. This solo exhibition catalogs the six months of Woods’ residency and includes oil paintings and photography. Woods' work explores the imagery of abandoned buildings, portraying them as symptoms of a consumer-driven culture. In a society that is constantly changing, he views abandoned spaces as "tangible fragments of a discarded history...tossed aside and left to be forgotten in the wastelands of time". As a result, in this exhibition he hopes to illuminate mankind to their sense of loss in the face of consumerism and technology.

His process involves digital photography and graphic design software to create digital drawings on which he then bases his paintings. The finished work is minimalistic, incorporating simple forms and pure colors. "Ultimately, the finished paintings are silhouettes and caricatures of the actual environments," says Woods. "They are observations of a forgotten world through the eyes of modern technology, leaving us to ponder the fading memories of our culture, our definition of progress, and what we are willing forsake for it."

Brandon Woods was born in 1987 in Knoxville. He received his B.F.A. at Middle Tennessee State University. He is an award-winning artist, most recently receiving a Personal Development Support grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission. For more information, visit his web site at www.brandonwoodsart.com.

Please note: the Emporium will be closed on Monday, September 5, for the holiday. Arts & Culture Alliance at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: Monday-Friday 9AM-5PM. Information: 865-523-7543, www.knoxalliance.com

HoLa Hora Latina is pleased to present “Frutos Latinos II”, an exhibition by Hispanic artists that live and work in the United States, particularly in the southeast region and the Knoxville area. The exhibition is hosted by the Arts & Culture Alliance at the Emporium Center and is on display in conjunction with Hispanic Heritage month in Knoxville and HOLA Festival on September 24. The exhibition opens Friday, September 2, at 5:00 PM in the main gallery of the Emporium Center. Fourteen artists will showcase works in the following media: oil, pastel, watercolor, acrylic, collage, and more. These artists will also display small works at the Knoxville Museum of Art, opening September 15.

This exhibition shows the diversity of media and style produced by contemporary Hispanic artists who explore what it means to now live and work in the United States. The artists included in the exhibition are: Antuco Chicaiza (Ecuador); Rafael Casco (Honduras); Valeria Eiler (Chile); Astrid Galindo (Mexico); Jorge Gómez del Campo (Mexico); Stella C. Martin (Colombia); Aida Reyes (El Salvador); Dina Ruta (Argentina); Patricia Tinajero (Ecuador); Loren Velázquez (Puerto Rico); Eugenio Wade (Argentina); Patty Wade (Argentina); Ruth Chang White (Perú); and Jorge Yances (Colombia).

“Frutos Latinos II” will be displayed in the main gallery of the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street. An opening reception will take place as part of First Friday activities on September 2 from 5:00-9:00 PM with complimentary hors d’oeuvres and wine. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Please note, the Emporium will be closed on Monday, September 5, for the holiday. For more information: 865-523-7543, www.knoxalliance.com.

Bliss Home will feature Todd Witcher for September’s First Friday. A reception will be held at Bliss Home, 29 Market Square, from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, September 2. Witcher is executive director for Discover Life in America. DLIA is a small non-profit organization based in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Its goal is to learn of all the species that call the Smokies their home and share the information with scientists and the public. With his nature-focused career, Witcher pulls from his surroundings to create his artwork. This month enjoy photographs of the Ferns of the Smokies. Each fern is a new scientific finding and the high-resolution photographs allow every detail to be seen. Witcher will be featured beginning September 2 and remain through the month.

For more information, contact Anne at anne@shopinbliss.com
Bliss; www.shopinbliss.com; 865-216-1237; 24 Market Square; Knoxville, TN 37902